fimmdrui

Fimm McCool's

Monday, 22 September 2014

Almost 12 months ago now I ordered some Reaper Bones from the Excellent Miniature Heroes site. Since then I've heard all kinds of opinions on them and was a bit unsure whether I might have a lot of unpaintable figures for my Mordheim warband....

Yesterday I bit the bullet and painted one.

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I've been told some people find difficulty getting their paints to cover. Before I started I degreased this model with hot water and washing up liquid, as I would if I were painting resin. I use Vallejo paints as I find the Citadel ones too gloopy (haven't tried their latest offering) and use them straight out of the pots mostly. Didn't have any problem with coverage, but I can imagine thinner paints sliding off a bit. Reaper say these models don't need undercoating, so to test it I didn't. Paint took just fine. I'd imagine if you wanted to use lots of thin layers you would probably be well advised to undercoat, and again people seem to be recommending different things for this. I did have to adjust the way I painted though. Normally I paint 'inside out'- that is, start with the hardest to reach areas, usually skin, and work out to the more accessible areas. With this mini I started with the brightest colours and worked to the dullest as I wanted the white of the model to give a glow through the finished paint job.

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As with all Reaper minis there is a lovely level of detail here. The face does seem to have softened a bit between the metal and plastic models, the nose particularly is less defined, but that actually works quite well. There is a flaw in this casting where the mould hasn't lined up properly. It doesn't show too badly, but if I were wanting a display piece I'd probably be disappointed. Also, great though the detail is, until there's paint on there it's very hard to see what's what. Normally I find the miniature kind of comes into clarity when undercoated, obviously I didn't undercoat but I'm not sure if it would have helped, her being white plastic and all. It takes a bit of working out to see where bits of clothing end, straps go etc etc.

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I'm painting another Bones figure at the moment which has a larger shield stuck on. With this one it was pretty straightforward painting under the shield, but the other is very frustrating. I suppose I could chop it off and glue it on again afterwards but that seems like a lot of hassle. Another of the figures has a bent staff which apparently I can straighten out by dipping it in hot water and pulling it straight. We shall see.

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So, my verdict on Bones. Would I buy them again? Yes, if it means getting Reaper's beautiful sculpts at a fraction of their normal price I would. Certainly for gaming. For display pieces? No, I would go for the metal versions for sharpness, clarity of detail and more control over bending parts and mould lines. But since I bought these for a beautiful Mordheim warband and don't want to pay a fortune for it I'm very happy with how it's worked out.

Sunday, 21 September 2014

There's going to be some in-fighting in my clan soon as I now have four Warlords... The Meargh will have to step in and assign division I reckon! Good job bickering nobles is all part of the Fimir back story.

The latest addition is Diego (Obscure Creator)'s lovely new model. Sadly he had to remove the serpent/dragon crest from the helmet for the foundry to cast it, the result left it looking a little flat on top for my liking. The detail in this model is lovely, but is has quite a 'modern' feel matching the FW Fimir more than the Bibby ones. How to make it look more 80s? ..................

A Mohawk! That 80s everything up! :)

The tongue, I'm told, is a casting flaw, but I quite like the bestial, drooling look it gives him. Maybe I should add a bead of saliva? His axe is, I think, meant to go the other way up (judging by the muscles) but I preferred the line of it facing downwards. Now I need to work out how to mount his concubines on the base... There's an 'interesting' one on the Fimir facebook page... I was thinking about using the axe somehow.

The base, obviously I hope, is not finished. I'm in the process of reviewing and rebasing all my Fimir as I'm not too happy with how the army looks together. This was also a first for trying out Vallejo's verdigris paint effect on some of his bronze armour... not sure how effective it came out, but adds a bit of interest and lifts the pattern so not too disappointed with it.

Monday, 15 September 2014

I thought it was about time I posted something hobby related after this spate of Oakbound stuff! It got me thinking that there are a lot of really good 'independent' and small miniatures companies around and they have some of my favourite figures among their ranks. Hopefully sometime soon I'll be able to do the noble thing and actually buy some, but in the meantime here are my 'must have' selection of beautiful miniatures in particular order:

Sticking with a nautical theme, Titan Forge's Bloodsail island range. Yes, they're resin, but there are some brilliantly quirky minis in here. The deep sea diver Orges (Anchor-Bashers) are some of my favourites but they also have gribbly demons, giant skulls, undead orcs and lots of other niceness.﻿

Eastern Front Studios’ Midgard Miniatures Baba Yaga. My favourite folkloric character in wonderful detail. Midgard Miniatures look to be a very exciting range with a nice, dark-european fairy tale feel. This bad boy (lady?) is well out of my price range, but the kit is huge and limited edition. I have a good feeling about the rest of the range!

Ramshackle’s Dungers. What can I say? It was a delight seeing these chaps in the resin at BOYL. Yes, I said in the resin, but you gotta applaud a guy who sculpts, moulds and casts everything himself and doesn’t charge the earth for his minis, and they’re lovely and unique minis too! Plus he’s a nice bloke… and his Giants have some nasty surprises up their kilts!

There you have it, a run down of the first minis I'll be buying should I ever have the cash to do so! Now to hand the baton on, what are your dream minis? How many more small companies can you dangle on a fishing line in front of the expectant world of wargaming connoisseurs?

Friday, 5 September 2014

That's it! Today the first Oakbound Kickstarter completed. 140% funded, both stretch goals of accessories packs and the Tuatha got unlocked. Sadly no dragons turned up. I guess they were confused as to whether they were celtic or not and headed off to the library for a bit more research... they'll be back!

That means I've 6 Tuatha, 2 custom sculpts, 2 of Chico's Dorfs and my own posse of Airship Goblinks to do in the next couple of weeks then it's off to the foundry with precious green! Of course, there'll be lots of little bits of green stuff left over at the end of the sessions, and these will not be wasted, oh no. They will all get turned into little bits and bobs to get stuck in the accessories packs which already boast a squirrel, an owl and a candlestick!

If anybody missed the kickstarter, never fear. This line of miniatures should be in the Oakbound shop in time for Christmas.

In the meantime, thank you again to everyone who's supported this through publicity, finance or just good moral support! You made the whole process very exciting and much less scary!

Wednesday, 3 September 2014

On Monday the Woods kickstarter passed its first stretch goal, so I've been sculpting accessories:

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These are still work in progress (hence the visible bits of brass rod, hilt-less swords etc) but hopefully enough to give an idea what they'll be like. There'll be some other bits and pieces added in as well. With about 48 hours left there's still time to pledge for some! :)